Last year Walter Webb got big man Jackie Butler to come to Virginia Beach, Va., prior to declaring for the NBA Draft. This year’s go-to guy at Coastal Christian will be Leo Criswell.
The 6-9, 210-pound Criswell is an athletic combo forward from Kansas City, Kan., who is looking at UNLV, Missouri and St. John’s. He’ll be utilized primarily on the wing by Webb.
Former Providence-signee Anthony Ivory should see plenty of playing time in the middle. The 6-8 ½, 295-pound Maryland native has lost weight and is getting looks from Pittsburgh, Utah and Georgia.
``People really haven’t gotten a chance to see him play healthy,” Webb said of Ivory. “He’s got great hands and can finish with both hands.”
Also along the frontline will likely be Georgia-bound 6-6 ½, 180-pound senior forward Terrence Woodberry.
Webb will be able to rotate plenty of guards in and out of the lineup, but a fixture should be well-traveled Eric Price, a 6-2, 175-pound floor leader from Washington, D.C., who played at Blair Academy (N.J.) a year ago.
Brandon Smalls is a 6-4, 175-pound athletic shooting guard from South Carolina who is being looked at by East Tennessee State and Charleston while Lloyd Phillips is a 6-foot, 180-pound shooting guard from Maryland who can score and is being pursued by Hampton and Wyoming. Joshua Russell (6-2, 175), who hails from Suffolk, Va., is another off-guard who should see playing time.
Coastal will have some big bodies up front to compliment Criswell, Ivory and Woodberry. Afam Nweke is a 6-7, 210-pound forward from Houston and Webb will also have the services of a pair of big guys from Cameroon – 6-8, 210-pound Simon Mbock and 6-7, 230-pound Herve Banogle.
Other players who should see action include guards Justin Richardson, Kenneth Cuffee, Darrell Norris, Lance Fuller, Brian Butler and Michael Mason as well as swingmen Ashford Graves and Robert Hill and undersized power forward Jonathan Sorapuru.
``This team is talented, but not so talented where they’re cocky,” Webb said. “They know they have to work hard to win. We don’t really have any superstars because anyone who knows Leo, knows he passes before he shoots.”
``We just need to get that first big win against a team we’re not necessarily supposed to beat,” Webb added. “Once we get that, we’ll have the confidence that we can beat anyone.”